<li><p>my friend is sending my peer evaluation can she send it today with normal shipping…is it just the postmark date that needs to be Jan 01 .- she just sent it normal mail. i dont think itll be a problem. colleges usually dont mind about the teacher recs and evaluations coming a little late…they take a good 2 weeks to actually process them usually. itll be there sometime next week. prob wed.</p></li>
<li><p>Dartmouth is the only school im applying to that doesnt ask for a supplemental essay. However, i wanted to know how many people here are sending in a supplenetal essay or a short statement. not like i want to go there bc its pretty in NH and my cousins live close by. but i mean a serious statement about a program they have their. i just feel that the commmonapp essay will show them stuff but not enough.</p></li>
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<p>If they wanted an extra essay, or to know why you want to go there, they'd ask you. Let's assume they've designed their app to get the info they want.</p>
<p>And yeah, the peer rec getting there Wed or so should be fine. They're not going to throw out your candidacy because your friend missed today's mail.</p>
<p>The January 1st deadline means postmarked by then, not received. Even then the admissions office is lenient because they understand that you, the applicant, have no control over when your recommendations are sent in.</p>
<p>In regards to the second question: I disagree with VeryHappy. Admissions officers love to see an applicant show a genuine interest in their college. They want to see that you didn't choose to apply to their school simply because of its name. Especially since you feel the common app's format doesn't let you get across enough information, write another essay and stick it in the additional information section.</p>
<p>I agree with VeryHappy. While the Common App may not allow you to fully show who you are, admissions officers have a lot to deal with already, and including an extra essay may not exactly be a good thing.</p>